After Today
by OneHotMess
Summary: All Calleigh could manage to think was that after today their lives would take on a new meaning.


Hey all (: I know i haven't written in like forever, but i felt the need to today. Ohmygod, in my AP European history class we were talking about how the french built this fort named "Fort Duquesne", and my teacher didn't think anyone would be able to pronounce it. How wrong he was. When he asked me how i knew, i said "Becasue Emily Procter's character on CSI:Miami is named Calleigh Duquesne...Duh!" Hahah. Off topic i know, sorry. (: Anyway, I hope you like it. As always, read and review. It makes me happy.

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_Everything changes but beauty remains  
Something so tender I can't explain  
I may be dreaming but until I awake  
Can't we make this dream last forever?  
And I'll cherish all the love we share  
_

Calleigh glanced down at her watch for what seemed like the thousandth time in the past minute. Where in the world was Eric? Tapping her bare toes impatiently against the wood floor, her fire-engine red pedicure caught the low light of the ceiling fan. As she glanced at the red, illuminated numbers of the cable box, Calleigh mentally scolded herself for acting so childish. Sighing, she tried to distract herself by scrolling through her phone, stopping on her last received text. "I'll leave as soon as I get a chance. Love ya babe." It warmed her that after being married for a year, they were still so flirty with each other.

The road to their relationship as it was now had been long and quite rocky. It had taken a lot of time for her to trust Eric once again, and he didn't blame her one bit. Finally they had found their footing, and their was no looking back. After his departure from MDPD he had taken some time off just to enjoy life. Life is too short, and they both knew it from past experiences. He had made is intentions blatantly clear to her, he was going to marry her one day and she was going to have his children. Calleigh dipped her head to hide the blush that slowly spread across her face as she remembered the night that he had told her he was leaving CSI for good.

---

"_I want to marry you Calleigh Duquesne," Eric slurred in his half drunken state._

_She giggled, burring her head into the warm crook of his neck. In retrospect, opening the second bottle of wine may have not been the best idea, she was working tomorrow after all. She wasn't drunk though, tipsy maybe, but not drunk. She couldn't remember what they were celebrating. Were they celebrating anything? Her memories were clouding together, making it hard for her to distinguish between fantasy and reality. All she remembered was coming home, on the verge of tears, to find Eric sitting in her living room reclining on the couch and nursing a bottle of beer. To say she had been surprised was an understatement. She had thought they were over, done, broken up, whatever. Apparently they weren't. She had dissolved into tears of happiness right there, flinging herself into his open arms. They had gone out to dinner, seen a movie, reveling in the fact hat they no longer had to keep their relationship on the down low. Later that night when he parked his car in the driveway, she threw him a seductive grin, beckoning him to come inside with her._

_That was the last she remembered. Somewhere between now and then, they had found themselves on her couch, cuddled up and half clothed. Toast were shared about new beginnings, sweater vests, mutant corn, and anything else their inebriated minds could conjure up._

"_Okay," she whispered, depositing a moist kiss to the underside of his jaw. He put a finger under her own jaw, forcing green eyes to lock with brown._

"_Okay? Just like that?" questioned. Trying to focus his eyes on hers, although finding the wine was having an effect on his vision._

"_Just like that," she repeated, the alcohol causing her to coat each word with the thick southern accent he rarely got to hear. He had smothered her with a suffocating kiss and they had made love right there on the living room floor. _

---

Calleigh sighed, that had been a wonderful evening. In stark contrast to the sadness that had enveloped her when he had told her he was leaving. The next morning they had woken up sore and hung-over, but only she had to actually get up and go back to work. He had pleaded with her to call in sick, and although she had considered it heavily, she was not going to let a hangover keep her from her guns. He hadn't remembered the marriage proposal, and she had only a faint recollection of saying yes. Talk of marriage hadn't been brought up for another six months, this time without the aid of alcohol. Another six months and they were married on one of the many beautiful beaches in Miami.

Calleigh shifted her gaze to the mantel above the fireplace, so useless in the Florida humidity, and landed on their wedding picture. It had without a doubt been the happiest day of her life, and the picture reflected that perfectly. They were all sunny smiles, and love was pouring off them in waves, that much was obvious.

The sound of the door to the garage being closed drew Calleigh out of her memories. She hadn't even heard the garage being opened. Wiping her sweaty palms on her favorite dark wash jeans, she stood up to wait for Eric to enter the living room.

"Calleigh?" His voice bounced off the tile and wood floors that covered the house, concern dripping off each syllable of her name. As he rounded the corner into the living room he breathed deeply. She had sent him a cryptic text reading "I got the results." Nothing less and nothing more. It had worried him deeply, but he had felt that he shouldn't try to press her for info at the time. She had been feeling sick for quite awhile, and had taken the day off to finally see a doctor (per Eric's request of course). Her symptoms had come on quite suddenly. Over the past couple of days, he often had to hold back her hair as she emptied the contents of her stomach. One day she hadn't even gone to work, for she could hardly hold open her eyes. Massive headaches had increasingly grown worse, until he had got down on his knees and begged her to go to the doctor's office. He had thought the worst. It physically hurt him that morning to see her with a faint look of terror in her eyes as he had kissed her good-bye.

Now she was standing across from him not looking into his eyes.

"Calleigh," he pressed. Quickly closing the distance between them, and settling his large hands on her hips. She looked into his eyes seeing the worry there, and he took note of the sheen of unshed tears. "What did the doctor say?" His voice came out rough and low. He wasn't exactly sure that he was ready to hear the answer. She hesitated for a moment, only adding to his dread.

"I'm perfect. Better than perfect actually," she smiled up at him. Those were not the words he had expected to here.

With a confused look on his face, Eric couldn't even formulate a complete sentence. "But the throwing up…there has to be something…I mean… I was there…I saw you…we'll go to another doctor."

"Eric," she laughed as she cradled his head in her palms, her thumbs slowly stroking the slight stubble on his chin. "There is nothing wrong with me," she reassured. He wasn't sure what to believe. Here she was telling him she was fine, but the tears now making salty tracks down his face were causing him a bit of confusion.

"But Cal…," he began, only to be stopped by a finger on his lips.

"Eric, I'm not sick," she breathed ducking her head under his chin as she continued to cry tears of happiness, "I'm pregnant."

"Pregnant," he whispered, rolling his tongue over the syllables. He laughed, tears of his own spilling down his cheeks.

"Yeah," Calleigh whispered finally meeting his eyes, the joy she found there making her heart melt. "We're going to be parents." All Calleigh could manage to think was that after today their lives would take on a new meaning.

After today, Eric knew he would never be able to look at Calleigh in the same way. She wasn't just his wife, she was the mother of his child.

After today, it wasn't going to be about just them anymore.


End file.
